


The South

by olivesnook33



Series: Life Doesn't Always Turn Out Like We Hope It Will [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivesnook33/pseuds/olivesnook33
Summary: Korra has gone back to the South to recover. Senna invites Asami down to try to help Korra along.Set a month after the end of Beginnings so maybe read that first if you haven't?I'm still bad at summaries.
Relationships: Asami Sato & Hiroshi Sato, Asami Sato & Senna, Asami Sato & Tonraq, Bolin & Asami Sato, Jinora & Asami Sato, Jinora & Opal (Avatar), Katara & Korra (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Mako & Asami Sato, Opal & Asami Sato, Senna/Tonraq (Avatar)
Series: Life Doesn't Always Turn Out Like We Hope It Will [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966735
Comments: 24
Kudos: 119





	1. Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> little bit more the the then/now - probably the last chapter with this set up then we will stay in the present  
> Double bars = time changes
> 
> This chapter focuses on Asami's first day in the south and the time she and Korra spent apart before Asami's trip to the south.

**_NOW_ **

As Asami handed Senna her boots they began to hear the sound of footsteps thundering up the steps and down the upstairs hall. Placing Asami’s boots in the closet, Senna motioned for her to follow her to the living room where a blazing fire awaited. Asami settled under a blanket on the loveseat closest to the fireplace before turning to Senna, “Did she know I was coming?”

“I didn’t tell her. I thought you would tell her.”

Asami’s eyes widened.  _ Somehow, I managed to drop in on her in the middle of nowhere.  _

“I suppose the ‘I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by’ excuse won’t work then.” She said with a laugh.

Senna chuckled and shook her head, “Definitely not. Are you getting warmed up? Want a tour?”

“I’m okay here for now.” Asami replied as she settled deeper into the loveseat. She could feel the stress from her travels melting away. The pressing thought she had had during her whole journey now firmly pushed to the back of her mind. She was here and she was going to do everything she could to help Korra. 

Asami sat and thought about the last time she and Korra were together. It was at the hospital, during the first few days of Korra’s recovery and she thought it might hold the key to helping Korra.

* * *

* * *

**_THEN_ **

Asami was answering the numerous emails that she was now receiving as the head of Future Industries new Home Security Division. Her father had surprised her with the position and insisted that she deserved it since she had come up with both the technology and the concept for how said technology would be put in place. 

She was currently in a heated debate with the man completing the prototype, a job she would have preferred to do herself but she couldn’t keep herself from heading directly to the hospital after classes everyday and staying late into the night.  _ Later, she told herself. I will build the proper prototype later. _

Asami was there so often that the nurses and doctors usually briefed her on what was happening with Korra since Korra was conveniently “asleep.”She knew Korra was not asleep. While Korra was someone who needed and did, in fact, sleep a lot, Asami knew what it looked like when she was asleep and this was not it. But she didn’t say anything to Korra. 

Every so often she would look at Korra from the corner of her eye and see those blue eyes locked on her. Korra was staring to make sure Asami was still there.  _ If this is what Korra needs, I’ll sit in this chair for the rest of my life. _ She thought to herself, turning her attention back to her email. 

* * *

Korra appreciated that Asami didn’t try to make her talk. She also didn’t treat Korra like a bomb that was about to explode or glass that was so full of fissures it would crack at any moment. Asami simply walked in, and sat. Some days she would be typing endlessly on her laptop. Other days she would sketch blueprints and call into work for meetings.

When Asami was there, Korra would usually pretend to sleep. Not because she didn’t want Asami to be there, truthfully, she didn’t want Asami to know that she was just staring at her. Asami was Korra’s life line, keeping her tethered to reality, if Asami was there and safe, so was Korra. 

Korra couldn’t place why she felt this way. That was what she kept telling herself. In truth, she knew. She was in love with Asami Sato and had planned to ask her on a date before she was…

* * *

Asami was about to reply to an email from her father when it happened. She heard Korra gasp and turned to see that what had been the slow, consistent beating of Korra’s heart was now erratic and spiking causing an alarm to notify the nurses’ station. Closing her laptop, Asami quickly stood from the chair and climbed onto Korra’s bed. She grabbed Korra’s arms and gently eased her into a sitting position and pulled her forward, ignoring the weak fight Korra was putting up.

She cautiously eased herself behind Korra and moved her so that her back was flush with her chest and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Korra.” Asami said; she got no response. “Korra. I need you to breathe. Breathe with me, Korra.” 

Asami felt Korra take a breath in as she did but not release it. “Korra, you are safe. I’m right here. Breathe with me or they’re gonna come in here and do it the not nice way.” At that Korra tensed more but was able to take in a few shaky breaths as Asami did. A nurse entered and Asami shot her a look indicating that she would press the call button if she needed her.  _ This will not be a repeat of last time.  _

Last time, Asami hadn’t known what to do and had only been able to watch as Korra struggled through her panic attack. When the nurses couldn’t get her to control her breathing and lower her heart rate, she watched them swiftly plunge a needle into Korra’s arm. Seeing Korra go limp like that was a sight she never wanted to see again so she had researched techniques to help guide people to getting their breathing and heart rates back under control. 

After about 10 minutes of Korra matching Asami’s breathing, her heart rate was back to normal and Asami called for the nurse. Korra turned her head and gave her a look she knew too well.  _ Why did you do that? _

“They have to check your stitches because I moved you; I tried to be gentle but I just want to be sure.” Asami said as she extricated herself from behind Korra. “I’m going to call my dad while they check on you.”

* * *

She couldn’t breathe. That one thought, not even to completion was her undoing. Korra felt like someone had walked up to her bed and placed an elephant on her chest.  _ I can’t breathe. _ The more Korra thought that to herself, the worse it became. She was gasping for air but nothing could fill her lungs.

Korra laid back in bed and shut her eyes, willing her body to do what it usually did so naturally and having no success. Then the feel of someone’s hands pulling at her arms and moving her body forward.  _ No, no, not again. I can do it.  _ She wanted to say the words but she couldn’t. 

Suddenly she felt someone behind her and felt arms wrap around her waist. Korra looked down and saw pale hands. 

“Korra.” whispered a voice too far for her to reach. 

“Korra. I need you to breathe. Breathe with me, Korra.” closer this time. Korra tried to take a breath when she felt the body behind her do the same but couldn’t manage to breathe it out. 

“Korra, you are safe. I’m right here. Breathe with me or they’re gonna come in here and do it the not nice way.” 

_ No.  _

Korra focused and managed to take a few shaky breaths like the voice had instructed. She heard footsteps approach and then rapidly retreat. She opened her eyes and looked down at the hands that were holding her in place. She moved her hands to cover them and focused on how they felt. Slightly rough, a few calluses.  _ Asami’s hands. _ She felt her body relax at the thought, the weight on her chest lifting some. 

She didn’t know how long they sat like that but soon heard the sound of the call button being pressed. Korra quickly turned around searching Asami’s face.

“They have to check your stitches because I moved you; I tried to be gentle but I just want to be sure.” Asami said as she felt her get up from behind her. “I’m going to call my dad while they check on you.”

Korra watched as Asami left the room, stopping to speak to the nurse who was about to enter. The nurse nodded her head and quickly marched up to Korra’s bed. 

“May I?” she asked.

Korra gave a curt nod and lifted her shirt. The nurse leaned and and poked around a little bit before straightening up and telling Korra, “You’re all good. Nothing popped.” and heading out the door. She closed her eyes as she waited for Asami to return but when she woke up, Senna was in her place. 

* * *

Senna saw that her daughter was awake and took her hand. 

“Asami had to go take care of some work at Future Industries. She told me to tell you that she would be back tonight and would stay if you want her to.”

Korra thought about it.  _ It’s a Friday night so she doesn’t have class tomorrow. _

“I would like that.” She said quietly. 

Senna nodded and pulled out her phone to call Asami. When she was done talking to Asami, Senna moved to sit on the side of Korra’s bed and rubbed her back. 

“How are you feeling today?”

Korra let out a sigh.  _ Everyday. _ She thought to herself.  _ No, she’s your mom, she cares about you. _ She corrected herself and thought back to when she was little and her mom would perform the same actions she was now. Rubbing her back when she was scared. Only this time the fear wouldn’t subside.

“A little better.” 

Senna smiled.  _ Short sentences are better than no sentences.  _ She thought to herself.  _ But I’m not going to push her.  _

“Do you want anything special for dinner tonight? Your dad said he would pick something up before he gets here.”

Korra nodded and wrote out the name of a restaurant and two orders on a nearby piece of paper. 

_ Kwong’s To-Go _

_ Korra - noodle soup w/seafood _

_ Asami - vegetable dumplings _

Senna smiled and took a picture of the order and sent it to Tonraq and sent a text to Asami that there would be dinner for her at the hospital when she arrived.

* * *

When Asami returned to the hospital Senna was waiting for her in the lobby with dinner in tow. Asami took one look at the box from Kwong’s To-Go and she let out a small squeal of excitement. 

“I was worried when she ordered you vegetable dumplings but I stand corrected.” Senna laughed.

Asami quickly unwrapped the chopsticks that sat atop the box and began to dig in. 

“How has she been since I left?” Asami asked between bites of dumpling.

“Quiet. The nurse told me what you did for her. Thank you.”

Asami shrugged. “It was no big deal.”

“You’ll have to teach me whatever it is you did. She’s being released in two days.” 

“Two days?”

“Yes, and we’ll take her back to the south until we can be sure she’s safe and for the rest of her recovery.”

Asami nodded and stared down at the remaining dumplings in the box. She had suddenly lost her appetite. 

* * *

* * *

**_NOW_ **

Korra raced up the stairs. To say she was blindsided by the arrival of her best friend would be an understatement. Asami had offered to come with her when she was leaving the hospital but Korra had brushed her off. She didn’t want Asami wasting her time in the south when she could be working and getting ready for her last year of school.

Korra reached her room and looked around. Clothes covered every surface. She could no longer tell what was clean and what was dirty. Her unmade bed added to the idea that a tornado had come through her room and the few remaining boxes that had been shipped back from the apartment sat untouched in the corner.

_ Shower first, clean later. _ She thought to herself.

When Korra was done cleaning, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen where she found her mother chopping vegetables. 

“Hi, sweetie. How was your shower?” 

“Good.” Korra said as she slid into a seat at the kitchen table. She thought for a moment. “Where’s Asami?”

* * *

Asami was slowly pulled back to reality when she felt gentle hands lift her legs and set them down on what she could only describe as familiar bumpiness.  _ Korra. _ She kept her eyes closed not wanting to wake up and face whatever her unannounced presence had caused Korra to feel. 

She felt Korra shift a little and heard the sound of the other half of the loveseat start to recline. Korra then pulled on the blanket Asami had cocooned herself in so it covered her as well and laid back. 

“I know you’re not asleep.” barely a whisper.

Asami opened her eyes a crack and squinted at the girl laid back next to her. The blue eyed gaze that met hers was unreadable; nothing like what she was used to seeing but she couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi.” Asami breathed out. “I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I’d stop by.” 

Korra snorted and rolled her eyes.  _ There’s my girl. _ Asami thought to herself before continuing. 

“I’m sorry, it seems that your mom and I both thought the other would tell you I was coming and we didn’t figure that out until we got here and you ran up the stairs. I should have told you. I can go home if yo-”

“No, it’s okay.” Korra interrupted, her gaze set firmly on the fire before them. 

“Promise me you’ll tell me if you want me to leave.”

Korra’s gaze shifted and settled on Asami. After a moment she closed her eyes and nodded. Asami settled back into the cushions of the loveseat and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

* * *

**_THEN_ **

Korra stood stoically on the deck of the ship and watched Republic City fade from view. She and her mother were travelling by boat because when Senna had mentioned taking a plane home, Korra had immediately had a panic attack because of the thought of such a confined space. It would take some extra time, but now, Korra had nothing but time. She didn’t have to worry about school, or basketball, or any of her other responsibilities and while many people would be relieved by that, Korra was devastated. 

She had wanted to try and stay in the city but her parents and doctors said it would be best to continue her physical recovery in the South and to start her mental recovery with her long-time therapist Katara. 

Katara was the one person in Korra’s life who knew all her secrets. Asami was a close second but Korra hadn’t quite opened up to her all the way. Katara had walked Korra through how to overcome her tendency to be overly aggressive and her severe phobia of enclosed spaces. Korra signed,  _ I haven’t had to see Katara in years and now I feel like I’m back at square one...worse than square one actually...I can’t even think about flying. _

After she could no longer see the cityscape, Korra moved to sit on one of the many benches of the deck. She wanted to stay in the open air for as long as she could since she would be in a small cabin with her mother overnight.  _ This is so stupid. I should be able to go and lay down on the bed and take a nap. _ She thought to herself. 

Korra tried to will herself to get off the bench and go lay down but her body wouldn’t budge as she began to think about how close the walls were to the bed and how tiny the window was. Thankfully, Senna joined her on the bench and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“You okay? You look like you’re miles away, sweetie.”

Korra shook her head, trying to clear the memories that were surging to the forefront of her mind. She blinked rapidly before turning to face her mother with pursed lips that gave away her struggle. Senna wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace and began to rub circles on her back as she softly sang the lullaby she had always used to calm Korra when she was a baby.

She felt herself relax and Senna loosened her grip on her daughter before looking her in the eyes. “You’re going to get through this. You’re the strongest person I know.”

Korra lowered her head to Senna’s shoulder and tried to fight back the tears that were sitting in the corners of her eyes. “What if I don’t?” she whispered. 

* * *

Asami couldn’t bring herself to see Korra off from the dock. She had officially moved back into her father’s house and, since the movers were unsure of what belonged to who, she had carefully packed all of Korra’s belongings into boxes and had them shipped to Tonraq and Senna’s home. The sadness she was feeling buried itself deeper into her heart with each item she tucked away and she knew she would not be able to see Korra off. Instead she slipped a note into one of the boxes for Korra to find when she unpacked her belongings and said a brief goodbye to her at the hospital the night before she left.

It had been a week and she was struggling. Asami knew Korra was safe and being well taken care of but she wanted to be the one to see it. To hold her hand and calm her down if she needed to. Instead, she was stuck in Republic City, attending classes and trying to muddle her way through the fog of missing her best friend.

Mako, Bolin and Opal had invited her over to the boy’s apartment but the whole time Asami was there all Asami could think about was how Korra and Mako would have been arguing over something stupid and that Opal would shoot her that look. The look that said  _ you need to tell Korra how you feel _ . It was nice but it wasn’t perfect. 

Jinora was also a daily presence in her life; if only to make sure Asami ate at least one meal a day. Her father checked in on her in her office whenever she was at Future Industries and would pull her from the workshop each night to ensure she got enough sleep. Asami was grateful for the people who were surrounding her with love and support but didn’t know what to do to make herself feel better. 

The semester came to a close and Asami gave her junior presentation which was met with great interest from several Research and Development groups and congratulations that poured in from her friends and family but it still felt hollow. 

One day, shortly before Opal was to return to Zaofu for the summer, Asami met her and Jinora for lunch at Narook’s. When she walked into the restaurant, Opal and Jinora were waiting for her and she slid into the booth and slumped down so her head rested on the table. 

“I waited too long.” She wanted to scream but it came out so that only her friends could hear it. 

Opal and Jinora glanced at each other unsure of what to say.

“I waited too long and now she’s gone and I’m miserable and she hasn’t even talked to me in the last two weeks.” Asami’s voice cracked on the last word and Opal quickly moved herself to Asami’s side of the table and pulled her into a hug.

“You didn’t wait too long.” Opal tried to soothe but the hug and her kind words caused the dam that Asami had been trying to hold to break. She began to sob uncontrollably and Jinora quickly went to find their waiter to change their order so that it would be to-go.

Opal was doing her best to get Asami to understand that she never could have predicted things would happen the way they did. She reminded Asami that she had planned on telling Korra that night but had never gotten the chance.

Asami sat up to look at Opal, her mascara leaving dark trails down her pale face. “But...but I wrote her a note. I stuck it in the box and she hasn’t said anything…” 

Jinora had returned with the check in hand. “What do you mean you wrote her a note?” she asked. 

Asami was slowly regaining her composure but she still needed a moment to pull her thoughts together before she could explain the contents of the note.

“She probably hasn’t found it yet,” Opal said. “If I know Korra, she won’t unpack everything right away.”

Asami nodded, Opal was probably right and she was about to say as much when they were interrupted by her phone ringing. Asami gave an apologetic smile as she reached into her bag to find her phone. She was tempted to send the caller straight to voicemail but when she looked that the caller I.D. it was Senna.

* * *

When Korra arrived home she looked at the boxes that had been brought up to her room and sighed. The familiar handwriting on the outside of the boxes was enough to make her wish she was back in Republic City in a hospital bed with the hand that wrote the words just a few feet away. She sighed and started to move the boxes that didn’t contain clothes to the corner of her room.  _ I’ll take care of those...eventually. _ She thought to herself.

Truthfully, she was hoping that she would never have to unpack then and could just send them back to Republic City in August. She was planning on returning to school at the start of the next year and she didn’t want to be bothered with having to pack again. 

Having put away the clothes she usually folded, she moved to put the remaining clothes in her closet but found that she couldn’t bring herself to actually walk into the space. Korra started into the darkness of the closet. She knew the lightswitch was just beyond the door frame to the left. All she had to do was take a step forward but she couldn’t.  _ The door. _ She thought to herself before turning and walking down the stairs and out the back yard to her father’s workshop.

Korra took a few minutes to search for the right tools in the drawers of the tool cabinet before finding the right one for the job. When she walked back in the house, her mother noticed her and was about to say something but Korra beat her to it.

“Will you help me?” she asked softly, almost like she was afraid.

“Of course, sweetie.”

* * *

It had been two weeks since Senna and Korra had arrived back home and little progress was being made. Senna had helped Korra remove the doors from her en suite bathroom and closet on the first day they returned but that had been her last true glimpse into her daughter’s state of mind. After that, Korra had shut down again. The tiny bit of progress she had made in the hospital had waned. The only person she spoke full sentences to was her therapist, Katara. Otherwise, Korra stayed in her room and only came out of it for meals.

Senna sat and thought about the time at the hospital and what had helped Korra the most. She tried to point to everything but the true answer first; the doctors, the nurses, the added security but she knew those weren’t what had brightened her daughter’s spirit, even if it had only been a little bit.

She reached for her phone and called Asami. 

_ “Hello? Senna, is everything alright?” _

Senna could hear the din of a restaurant in the background and Asami saying excuse me to other patrons as she tried to make her way out.

“Hi Asami. Everything’s fine. Well as fine as it can be for now, I was actually calling because I had a question for you.”

_ “Uhhhh...sure. What is it?” _

“I was wondering if you would be willing to come stay down here for a little while. Korra seemed to be doing really well at the hospital when you were there and she has kind of regressed to not speaking at all to anyone but Katara.”

Senna heard Asami take in a sharp breath. 

_ “I think...yeah, if I move some stuff around I could do that. I would have to work from there but I can send all the equipment I would need and then you all could be the first to get the -” _

Senna cut her off, “Asami, you’re rambling.”

_ “Oh, sorry. Yes. I should be able to do that.” _

“Are you sure, only come if you want to, not because you feel you have to.”

_ “Senna, there is nothing I would rather do than try to help Korra.” _

Senna breathed a sigh of relief as Asami added,  _ “Plus I can test out the new security system at your house if you wouldn’t mind.” _

“I’m sure Tonraq would love that. When can you come?”

_ “By the time I gather everything I’ll need and finish the prototype…” _ Asami trailed off as she did some quick mental math.  _ “Probably about two weeks from now, if that’s okay.” _

“Whatever time you need to get ready is perfect Asami. Thank you. Thank you so much for all you’ve done and all you will do. I’ll send you a list of essentials for the cold tomorrow.”

_ “Sounds good.” _

“Thank you, again. I’ll see you in two weeks. Send me all your information and we’ll reimburse you the cost.”

_ “You really don’t have to do tha-” _

“Please, Asami, it’s the least we can do.”

_ “Okay. I’ll have all the information sent to you by tomorrow evening.” _

“Bye, Asami.”

_ “Bye, Senna.” _

* * *

Opal and Jinora joined Asami outside the restaurant. They couldn’t help but notice that their friend’s entire demeanor was different.

“Good news?” Opal inquired.

“Yes and no.” Asami replied and began to walk in the direction of Jinora’s apartment.

Jinora and Opal exchanged a confused glance. Before Jinora followed Asami and asked, “Are you gonna tell us?”

“Well, Korra has stopped talking to anyone who isn’t her therapist. So Senna asked if I would come to stay to see if I could help since she kind of talked to me in the hospital.”

The trio walked in silence for a moment before Opal asked what was on all their minds. 

“How are you going to help?”

“To be honest, I’m not really sure but I’m going to try my best. It’s what Korra would do for any of us.”

They had arrived at Jinora’s and waited patiently for Jinora to fish her keys out of her backpack to let them in. Once inside, they settled around the dining table and pulled out their food before circling back to the issue of how to help Korra.

“What were you doing in the hospital that helped her?”

“Nothing too special, really. I snuck her better food and sat next to her and worked. We didn’t really talk or anything. I just sat there.”

“That’s it?” Jinora looked at her with incredulity. 

“She didn’t want to talk and I didn’t want to make her so, yeah.”

“But then she talked to you?” Opal questioned.

Asami rocked from side to side in her chair. “Kind of? She would say thank you and it was mostly nonverbal communication outside of things like that.”

“Okay, so you’re a good calming presence for her.” Jinora stated as though Asami should have known that all along.

“I guess but if that’s all I’ve got then why did I agree to go?” Asami sighed and got up to begin pacing the room.

“You know why.” Opal replied firmly.

Asami stopped mid stride. “I do. But now is not really the time for that, is it?”

Jinora and Opal thought for a moment. Before Jinora, ever the diplomat, said “It might not or it could be just what she needs.”

Asami sighed. She would have to figure it out as she went. 

* * *

Korra started at the ceiling of her bedroom. She had left her room for breakfast and her session with Katara earlier in the day but she wasn’t feeling like going down to dinner. Each session drained her mentally and emotionally which meant that her tolerance for the presence of others, especially others who worried over her, was minimal.

She heard a gentle knock on the door but made no move to get up to answer it and didn’t call out in response. Korra continued to lay still eyes glued to the glow-in-the-dark plastic stars that had been carefully placed there when she was five. She heard the door open and turned to see her father hovering between the hall and her room. Korra gave him a quick nod as if to say  _ you can come in. _

Tonraq took a tentative step into his daughter’s room before crossing to her and gently sitting on the corner of her bed. He placed a hand on her ankle and looked at her for a moment before asking if she was going to come to dinner. Korra almost said no but then her stomach growled so loudly that she thought it might have vibrated the bed. 

Her father laughed and removed his hand, now offering it to her to help her off the bed. When Korra stood, he wrapped his arms around her and she felt like she was a little girl again. She had been away so often the past few years, she had forgotten how safe she felt when he hugged her. Korra stiffened a little when she heard her father sniffle but soon relaxed again when he let go and walked out of her room.

She was quiet as usual during dinner but that no longer seemed to bother her parents and after she helped her mother clean up, she headed back to the quiet of her room to gaze at the plastic and hope she would sleep peacefully.

* * *

* * *

**_NOW_ **

Asami was awakened again by a gentle shake of her shoulder. Senna was peering down at her and saying something that Asami’s brain couldn’t process. Her deep sense of comfort and the warmth from the fire and Korra were keeping her in the twilight zone of sleep. Asami shook her head, trying to get her brain to catch up to the present. 

“What?” she managed to croak out. Her throat slightly sore from the dry air.

Senna’s voice finally broke through the final fog of sleep. “Dinner is ready,” she said and she moved to wake Korra as well. 

Senna hesitated before placing her hand on Korra’s shoulder and Asami immediately saw why. Korra practically jumped off the loveseat and let out a gasp. Senna quickly cupped Korra’s face in her hands and looked into her eyes whispering a series of phrases that Asami didn’t quite catch.  _ I’ll have to find out what that is so I can use it if I ever need to.  _ After a moment, Korra relaxed back into the couch and turned her head toward Asami.

Asami gazed back at her wondering why she wasn’t getting up to head to dinner. She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrow to say  _ are you gonna get up? _ Korra gave her a small smirk before tapping her legs. Asami blushed when she realized that she was effectively pinning Korra to the couch and quickly moved to get up. 

Dinner passed with pleasant conversation between Asami, Senna and Tonraq. Korra occasionally nodded when they tried to include her but she was content to sit and listen. When they were done eating Senna and Korra began to clear the dishes from the table, and Tonraq turned to Asami. 

“I put all of your boxes in the room next to Korra’s. I didn’t know which one had the system so I can help you bring that one down if you want.”

“Thanks, we can do that tomorrow sometime. It should only take me a few hours to install and then I can walk you through how it works if you want.” Asami answered.

“Sounds good. Take as much time as you need with it. I just want my daughter to be safe and this will definitely help me feel that she is. Was this something that had been in the works for a while?” 

Senna and Korra returned carrying dessert and plates and started to dish out servings for everyone. Asami paused, unsure what to say but Tonraq looked at her expectantly. She clenched her hands together and shifted her gaze to her half empty glass.

“Ummm...no. I...uh started it the day after...I made it for…” she trailed off as she felt Korra’s eyes on her. Asami cleared her throat and tried to continue. “I made it because I couldn’t believe that no one came to help or check on what was happening. I want to make sure that no one ever has to worry about...what Korra went through.”

“Asami, you created a whole new piece of technology and a new department of Future Industries because of Korra?” Senna asked.

Asami shrugged her shoulders, “It’s nothing, anyone else would do the same thing.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Tonraq replied, “It is a big deal and not everyone would even think to do something like you’ve done.”

She didn’t know what to say or do so she just picked up her fork and began to poke at the dessert that was placed in front of her. Korra and her parents soon followed her lead and soon all the dessert was gone and plates were once again being cleared from the table. 

“Korra began to reach for Asami and Tonraq’s plates but she was stopped when Senna asked her if she would show Asami to her room. Korra nodded and then held out her hand to Asami. Asami stared at it for a few seconds too long before taking hold of it and allowing herself to be led up the stairs and down the hall to her room. 

When they arrived, Korra showed her where Tonraq had put all of her belongings and then pointed to the two doors in the room. 

“Bathroom. Closet. If you need anything I’m the next door down the hall.” She said and turned to leave.

“Korra.” Asami said before she made it out the door.

Korra slowly turned around. 

“It’s good to see you. I missed you.” 

Asami found herself locked in Korra’s gaze. The slightest smile played on Korra’s lips before she turned and walked down the hall to her own room.


	2. Security

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami tests out her new invention. There's some cuteness. There's some emotional distress. There's some comfort. I'm still terrible at summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would say sorry this took so long but I was busy being so anxious about the election that I didn't want to do anything and then today came and now I'm so anxious that I was able to finish. Here's to not having panic attacks, friends. Stay safe and take some deep breaths...especially if you're in the dumpster fire that is America.

Korra was pulled from the hazy sleep she had fallen into by the sound of rummaging coming from the room next to hers. She rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. The bright blue numbers indicated to her that no one should be awake at this hour so she lifted the covers off her body and got out of bed.

She quietly padded the short distance down the hallway and stopped outside of Asami’s closed door. Korra lifted her hand to knock but thought better of it and opened the door just a crack before whispering, “Asami, what’s wrong?”

Asami yelped as she jumped up from one the many boxes that were open. Korra slipped the rest of the way into the room and a small chuckle emanated from her as she took in Asami. She was wearing fuzzy socks, sweatpants, a hoodie and a beanie and was still shivering. 

“Spirits Korra, you scared me half to death.” Asami finally said when she caught her breath. 

Korra shrugged and raised her eyebrows.

“I’m cold. I was looking for the heated blanket I thought I sent here but I can’t find it anywhere.” She said as she returned her attention to the boxes before her. Asami heard Korra leave the room and a door further down the hall opening and closing a moment later. 

When Korra returned, she had a ceramic space heater in her arms that she quickly set down and plugged in. Asami watched as Korra adjusted the dials and positioned the heater so that it was a safe distance from everything but would still warm the room. Asami immediately plopped onto the floor in front of the heater and held her hands out trying to absorb as much of the heat as possible. 

Korra sat down beside her and reached over and took Asami’s hands in hers. She felt Asami tense slightly at her touch but immediately relaxed once she felt the warmth of Korra’s hands.  _ Raava. I’ve never felt hands this cold. _

“How are you so warm? You’re not even dressed for this weather. It’s not fair.”

“Years of experience.” Korra replied. 

They sat together in front of the heater for a few more minutes until Asami stopped shivering and her hands were back to a human temperature but Asami didn’t move and Korra was content to sit with Asami as long as she wanted.

Asami shifted and laid her head on Korra’s shoulder. “Thank you for saving me from hypothermia,” she said while slowly removing her hands from Korra’s and wrapping her hands in her sleeves. “Sorry for waking you up though.”

Korra leaned her head against Asami’s and they sat like that for a time before Asami broke their comfortable silence.“As much as I’m enjoying this, if I keep sitting here I won’t be able to move in the morning, Between the cold and the floor I'll be stiff as a board,” she sighed and felt Korra lift her head and get up.

Hands appeared in her line of sight and she grabbed hold of them, accepting the help extended to get her off the floor. Once she was up she pulled Korra toward herself and into the hug she had been wanting to give her since she set foot off the plane.

“Goodnight, Korra.” Asami said as she squeezed her best friend tighter.

She felt Korra squeeze back before letting go and giving her a small nod as she closed the door on her way out. 

* * *

Asami rose with the sun like she usually did. Somehow jetlag hadn’t caught up with her.  _ Probably because of the five hour nap I took yesterday. _ She thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She decided to forgo her usual makeup and slipped on her warmest pair of leggings and her favorite RCU sweatshirt over the black long sleeved shirt she was already wearing. She rummaged through the box of clothes she had sent until she found the stack of wool socks she had bought at Senna’s recommendation and pulled a pair onto her feet before grabbing a book from another box heading downstairs.

The house was quiet which was unsurprising due to the early hour but when she passed the kitchen she was surprised to find Tonraq standing in front of the sink, gazing out the window as he drank his coffee.

“Good morning, Asami.” Tonraq greeted her without turning around.

Asami was surprised he knew it was her and not his wife or daughter. She returned the greeting, adding, “How’d you know it was me?”

Tonraq turned around and leaned against the counter and gave her a warm smile. “Senna rarely wakes up before 8 unless she has to be somewhere, and I’m assuming you know Korra well enough to know -”

“The morning is evil. Yepp,” she finished for him. 

“So that left you. Although I don’t know why you’re up so early.”

“Habit, I guess. I usually have so much going on that I have to start the day with a little work before class so now my body just gets me up.”

Tonraq nodded. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

“Tea would be lovely. Could you show me where everything is so I can get it myself if you’re not here?”

“Of course,” he said and showed her around the kitchen so she could find more than just tea.

When her tea was ready, Asami settled at the table in the breakfast nook. Tonraq joined her after picking up the newspaper from the porch. Asami happily sipped her tea and got lost in the book she was reading and before she knew it, Senna had joined them in the kitchen. 

Senna gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek before turning to greet Asami as she settled at the table. Tonraq quickly got up and made his wife a cup of coffee before returning to his paper. Asami was about to return her attention to her book when Senna asked her if she would help with breakfast.

Asami looked like a deer in the headlights. 

“Uhhh...I don’t know how to...Korra wouldn’t even let me boil water at our apartment,” she said with a sigh. “I never really had a need to learn between my mom when I was little and then after…” she trailed off for a moment but sensed expectant eyes on her. “After my dad hired a chef and most recently I’ve done takeout or Korra would cook.”

Senna glanced at her before getting up and turning to head to the fridge. The brief glance was more comforting than any look Asami had ever received at the mention of her mother’s death. It wasn’t pity or sympathy. It was genuine sadness for the lost opportunities between a mother and daughter.

“I’ll teach you. What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”

* * *

Korra slowly made her way downstairs after getting ready for the day. She had refused to get out of bed before 11:00, even though she had been awake since 09:00. Knowing that she had an appointment with Katara at 13:00 meant that she was unprepared to talk to or see anyone, even her best friend.

When she arrived in the kitchen, she found her mother washing dishes and a plate of food set aside for her. 

“Let me know if you need that heated up, it’s been a while since Asami made it.” Her mother said when she heard her pull out a chair in the breakfast nook.

Korra glanced at the plate wide-eyed and then at her mother. Senna sensed her daughter’s eyes on her and turned to look at her.

“Okay, I made it but she observed carefully and mixed the batter for the sweet buns. She said you never let her cook.”

“She burned ramen.” Korra replied flatly.

“You could have taught her,” Senna replied with a sly look. “Or did you just want to impress her with your cooking skills?”

Senna chuckled as she watched Korra choke on the bite of sweet bun she had just taken and slowly turn the color of a tomato. Before Korra had a chance to respond to her mother, Asami waltzed through the back door thoroughly engrossed in the small circuit board in her hands and softly muttering something about “protective relays.” 

“Everything okay, Asami?” Senna asked.

Asami’s head snapped up and she took in Senna. “Oh, yeah, sorry...I was just adjusting some things and didn’t want to make a mess in here so Tonraq said I could use the workshop out back,” she said before returning her attention to the device and leaving the kitchen.

Senna joined Korra at the table. “Is she always like that when she works?” 

Korra smiled and nodded in the affirmative before getting up and clearing her place. She washed her plate and fork before drying them and putting them away. 

“13:00, right?”

“Yes, we need to leave by 12:30.”

Korra gave Senna a thumbs up and then made her way down the hall toward the stairs. She stopped short when she saw Asami carefully taking measurements and gently marking places on the wall to the right of the door in the foyer. She was so engrossed in what she was doing she didn't hear Korra walk up to her.

“Morning, ‘Sami.” Korra whispered in her ear.

Asami’s arm shot across the wall, creating a dark line across the paint. She whirled around to face Korra. “SPIRITS KORRA. You gotta stop doing that. You’re gonna give me a heart attack. I didn’t even know you were awake.”

Korra couldn’t help but laugh and Senna quickly came around the corner from the kitchen. Taking in the scene, she joined in Korra’s laughter.

“You walked right by her in the kitchen, Asami.”

Asami’s eyes widened, “I did?”

Korra nodded and doubled over before moving towards the stairs and heading up them, laughing the whole way. Senna watched her daughter and shrugged before noticing the mark on the wall.

“I can fix that,” Asami quickly assured her. “When I was little, I tried to copy everything my dad did so my mom taught me how to clean up after my ‘projects.’”

“I can get Korra to come fix it, it was her fault after all.”

Asami shook her head. “I’m glad she can have a little joy...even if it is at my expense.” She chuckled.

“She has an appointment at 13:00, you’re welcome to come and wait with me if you want or you can keep working here.”

“I’d like to have this set up by the time you all get back if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. You can always call me if you need anything while we’re out.” 

* * *

Asami had finished installing the security system and all the monitors throughout the house just before Korra and Senna left. Her next task was the part she was most worried about, making sure it worked properly. She input the code necessary to link all the sensors to the control panels while simultaneously on the phone with her number two at Future Industries to see if the system came online.

_ “Showing Kioke Residence here, Ms. Sato.” _

“And you can see all the door and window sensors, the new smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, everything?”

_ “Yes, ma’am. Only thing to do now is test it to see if triggering the alarm notifies us here.” _

“Give me a moment.”

She quickly input the temporary code she had created to arm the system, walked over to the window of her room and opened it.

“Okay, there is a 30-second grace period before the call is made. Are you seeing a countdown?”

_ “Yes, we are down to 15 seconds. Should be getting very loud there soon.” _

Seconds later an ear-splitting alarm began to sound and Asami could no longer hear herself think but she could see the screen on the landline light up.

“Okay, you can turn it off. How did everything look?”

_ “Congratulations, it worked exactly as you said it would. We were ready to notify the local authorities if they didn’t answer or if they answered and indicated they needed help.” _

Asami breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thank Raava, and thank you. I’ll probably be making a few tweaks but I’ll keep you updated. I’ll talk to you later.”

_ “Goodbye, Ms. Sato.” _

As soon as she was off the phone, Asami felt the tension she had been carrying all morning leave her body. She wanted so badly to offer Korra and her family a sense of security beyond a nightly patrol by the local police and she had done it. 

* * *

Korra laid in her bed and stared up at the plastic stars on her ceiling. When she had returned from her appointment with Katara, she made it a point to avoid Asami. She knew Asami wouldn’t ask her any questions but it was obvious she had been crying and she didn’t want Asami to see that. But Asami was done working for the day and gently knocked on her door frame. Korra didn’t move, she knew she didn’t need to but she glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Asami hesitate before entering her room. 

Asami sat on the edge of the bed and slowly moved to grab Korra’s hand and lace their fingers together. 

“Hi.”

Korra gave Asami’s hand a squeeze but didn’t say anything. 

“I know you don’t want to talk but I was hoping I could sit with you. I could use a little peace to quiet my brain.”

Asami waited patiently for Korra to answer in any way. Korra let go of her hand and Asami dropped her head and started to get up to leave but Korra caught her wrist and quickly patted the bed next to her. Asami settled next to Korra and the two looked at the stars on the ceiling together.

“Can you tell me about it?” Korra asked.

“About what?”

“The security system. I like it when you talk about your work and it’ll make me stop thinking about what I had to talk about earlier.”

Asami rolled onto her side so she could see Korra’s face. It was back to carrying the unreadable expression Asami was becoming used to but one look at her eyes and Asami knew she was fighting to keep herself calm. 

“Of course,” she said as she reached over to grab Korra’s hand. “Basically, it’s a wireless alarm system with sensors on each point of entry, doors and windows, that are triggered when separated to notify the control panels in the foyer and…”

Korra listened intently as Asami spoke. Normally she would have asked well-timed questions for more insight but just listening to Asami’s voice was more than enough to quell the storm in her mind. She felt herself slipping away. Slowly, the stars on the ceiling started to blur as her eyes slid shut. 

_ Dark. It’s so dark. And loud. The sound of the road flying underneath her, the rough fibers of the carpet. Even in the darkness she could feel how close the walls were to her. Korra slowly reached an arm out to feel around dark.  _ **_I’m in a trunk._ ** __

_ Her breathing immediately quickened at the thought. Being kidnapped, she could handle it. Fighting three grown men? Not ideal but she could handle that. Stopping the fight in the hopes of saving Asami.The easiest decision she had made in her short life.  _

_ Korra’s hands began to frantically feel their way around the trunk but she found nothing. She could see the dim glow of the tail lights but it didn’t bring her any comfort. She did the only thing she could think to do: she screamed.  _

* * *

Asami slowly moved through the different components of the security system and she saw some of Korra’s tension begin to melt away as she spoke. She watched as Korra’s eyes slowly began to close and her breathing became even. When she was sure Korra was asleep she stopped talking. She didn’t want to leave her but talking through everything had given her a sudden burst of inspiration that she didn’t want to lose. 

She carefully tucked a blanket around Korra and brushed the hair that had fallen over her face aside before quietly leaving the room and heading to her own. Asami quickly grabbed her laptop and drafting materials - she had brought her specialized tablet but there was something about having a hard copy of her plans that brought her comfort. 

Her pencil moved across the page quickly. Calculations scribbled in the margins, eyebrows furrowed in concentration when she heard a faint gasp. Asami paused her movements to listen closely but heard nothing else.  _ Call it overprotective but I’m gonna check on Korra. _

She quickly got up and was halfway to Korra’s door when the screaming Korra was doing in her dream became a reality. Asami sprinted into Korra’s room. Her heart broke when she saw Korra desperately trying to untangle the blanket that was wrapped around her. When she had succeeded, she pulled her knees to her chest and her body began to shake. 

When Asami reached the bed she scooped Korra into her lap and held her tightly while whispering assurances and carding her fingers through her hair. Choked sobs began emanating from Korra and Asami could feel the tears that were freely flowing down her cheeks staining her sweatshirt. It took all the strength she had to not cry with Korra. 

She heard Senna’s footsteps on the stairs and watched as she ran into the room with worry etched into her face but seeing that Korra was being taken care of she went to the bathroom and emerged a moment later with a prescription bottle and a glass of water. 

“When she’s ready, she needs to take this. She’ll probably refuse but it’s for the best when this happens.” She said and let out a sigh. “Let me know if you need me to take over. I’ll bring you both dinner when it's ready.”

Asami could only nod. She knew her voice would betray the heartbreak she was feeling.  _ I should have stayed with her.  _ That thought made Asami feel like she had failed.  _ I wasn’t there to help her when it happened and now I wasn’t there to comfort her fast enough.  _

She felt Korra start to relax and her breathing return to normal. Asami was just about to reach for the medicine and water Senna had left when Korra began to talk. 

* * *

The scream that ripped through Korra’s throat was enough to wake her. As soon as consciousness came to her she felt trapped. There wasn’t a great weight pressing upon her but she couldn’t move as much as she wanted to. Her arms and legs thrashed to remove the offender but it wasn’t enough. She didn’t want to be contained but she was suddenly too exposed so she collapsed in on herself. The tears she had been holding back since she had returned home flowed down her cheeks, her body shaking with the effort of not screaming out more.

And then she was safe. The familiar scent of lavender and jasmine took over her senses and she was wrapped in the embrace that brought her more comfort than she had ever thought possible. The sobs she had been holding back broke loose and she let herself go. She didn’t have the strength to pretend anymore. Korra held tighter to Asami and let go of everything she had been holding in for two months.

She listened to the steady beating of Asami’s heart and felt gentle fingers working through her hair. Korra relaxed into Asami’s body, her sobs slowly tapering off and giving way to words that were out of her control.

“I was about to change to meet you at Narook’s...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna find out what happened to Korra...I say we cause I only have a general idea so we shall see


	3. Korra's Kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She listened to the steady beating of Asami’s heart and felt gentle fingers working through her hair. Korra relaxed into Asami’s body, her sobs slowly tapering off and giving way to words that were out of her control.
> 
> “I was about to change to meet you at Narook’s…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some warnings: kidnapping, fighting, brief mention of blood. If those aren't your jam, exercise caution.

**_THEN_ **

Korra never realized she was being followed. There was Zaheer, the muscular man with the shaved head and slit in his eyebrow, who followed her whenever she left campus. There was Aiwei, the grandfatherly man, who followed her from class to class. There was Ghazan, the man who watched Korra and Asami come and go from the apartment. 

The three members of the Red Lotus were so well trained in reconnaissance that no one noticed them. They didn’t appear to be out of place; Zaheer looked every bit like a tourist trying to take in the whole of the city, Aiwei presented himself convincingly as a professor with urgent business in various buildings, and Ghazan looked like a dutiful maintenance man working hard to ensure the apartment complex stayed in working order. Korra didn’t remember the attempted kidnapping from her childhood so she didn’t know that she should recognize their faces.

They watched her for weeks and planned meticulously but were surprised when she didn’t arrive home at her usual time on the Friday they had planned for. Her classes for the day were over but she was nowhere in sight. Her roommate had quickly come and gone as usual but didn’t work very late on Fridays so they were worried they had missed their opportunity. 

At 6:30 they were relieved to see their mark get off the bus and head up the stairs to the apartment and close the door. This was their chance.

* * *

Korra was so proud of herself and thankful for the help that Asami had put into helping her prepare in spite of her best efforts to let the embarrassment of losing in the first round of the tournament drag her down. Her interview was successful, a prestigious internship secured for next year. _One step closer to the dream._

She couldn’t wait to tell Asami, she had promised her she would text her as soon as she was done but she kind of wanted to see how long her best friend would wait. Korra plopped down in one of the few open seats on the bus and began scrolling through her emails. She made it through three emails before Asami’s face interrupted her. _Not very long_ she thought as a sly smile crept to her lips. 

“Hey ‘Sami, what’s up?”

_“Oh nothing, just waiting impatiently for my best friend to tell me how her interview went.”_

“That’s rough, buddy. Don’t know why you called me for that. Although, I did have an interview today if you would like to hear about it.”

 _“Hmmmm...I guess that will have to do.”_ Asami said with a laugh and Korra wished she could always hear that laugh. _“You’re such a dork. You knew I wouldn’t be able to wait. You weren’t even going to text me were you?”_

“Ya know me too well.”

“ _Anyway…”_

“Anyway what?”

_“KORRA.”_

“Oh right...the interview. I got it.”

_“You got it?”_

“Yeah. Next year, I’ll be working with Republic City’s Social Work Office.”

_“I am not surprised but this does call for a celebration! How about we go to Narook’s for dinner if you aren’t too busy?”_

“I think I can clear my schedule for some noodles.”

_“Great. Meet you out front at 19:00?”_

“See you there!”

After she hung up she looked at her outfit then at the time. _6:15...plenty of time to change._ She got off the bus and swiftly crossed the street and headed to the apartment. Korra closed the door, slowly making her way through the living room, picking up things that needed to be put away. 

Then there was a crack so loud she thought she had dropped the laptop in her hands but when she looked down it was still secure. Looking back up made her stomach drop.

* * *

* * *

_**NOW** _

“They watched me, no us, for weeks. They learned when I would be home alone, when you worked, when and where our classes were. If I had just gone straight to the restaurant…”

“Hey.” Asami hadn’t wanted to interrupt but she couldn’t let Korra blame herself. She shifted her body so she could make eye contact with Korra. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know but -”

Asami shook her head, her eyes pleading with Korra to understand that there was nothing she could have done; nothing she could have changed. Korra ducked her head before laying back onto the bed. Tears clouding her eyes, waiting to be spilled. Asami could tell she was having a hard time and as much as she felt she needed to know all of this she knew it was going to be difficult for Korra to tell her and hard for her to hear it. 

“You don’t have to tell me more right now. We have time.” she said softly as she laid down next to Korra.

Asami felt Korra flip onto her side and turned her head to meet cyan eyes that held more determination in them than she had ever seen.

She reached for Asami’s hand. “No, I want to tell you. I know telling you will help. It’s just...hard.”

Asami gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Well I’m not going anywhere.”

Korra took a deep breath before she continued. 

“I wanted to clean up the living room a little bit before I changed so I was grabbing my laptop...

* * *

* * *

_**THEN** _

It was supposed to be easy. Go inside, grab the girl, take her to the hideout. Zaheer kicked in the door with ease; after that, he was surprised to actually be challenged. To say that Zaheer was large would be an understatement but Korra was surprisingly strong. As soon as Zaheer crossed to her she slammed the laptop she was holding into his nose while effortlessly vaulting herself over the couch to put distance between them. 

Zaheer swiftly followed her but was met with an agility he didn’t know Korra possessed. Every time he reached for her she eluded him and swiftly grabbed the blanket, now covered in a smattering of Zaheer’s blood, from the back of the couch as she returned over the top of it kicking the coffee table out of her way before turning to face him while calling out for help. They traded blows, Korra’s seeming to have no effect except for further destroying Zaheer’s nose. 

She managed to once again slip away from Zaheer but not before he landed a solid hit to her ribcage; knocking the wind out of her. Zaheer’s success made him arrogant and he reached for the rope he had in his back pocket. Korra used his momentary distraction to throw the blanket over his head while screaming for help.

Her cries attracted the attention of Ghazan who entered the apartment surprised to find Zaheer on his knees with Korra standing behind him gripping a blanket that was tightly wrapped around his throat. He looked on for a moment as Zaheer gasped for air that couldn’t make it to his lungs. Ghazan grabbed for the blanket before Korra took notice of him tearing it from Zaheer’s throat. 

Zaheer fell the rest of the way to the floor and Korra whirled around to face the new threat, once again calling out for help as she tried to duck under Ghazan’s fist but was too late. He made solid contact with her right eye sending her back into the couch. She would have been worried but Ghazan was clumsily approaching her giving her the opportunity to kick him squarely in the chest with both feet. 

She got up from the couch and was trying to make her way to the door when her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back. Korra felt rough rope surround her wrists as she struggled to break free of the grip. Aiwei had quietly entered the apartment during her scuffles with Zaheer and Ghazan and made his way behind her. 

“Stop fighting.” He growled in Korra’s ear.

Korra twisted her body in an effort to escape his grasp. When that didn’t work she hurled herself back into the man and felt the back of her head connect with his face which caused his grip to falter a little. She was so close to the door. _Just a few more steps._

“Stop fighting or your roommate won’t live to see tomorrow. We know...”

She doesn’t hear the rest. Her knees buckled under her and slam into the floor. Korra watched Zaheer step in front of her then everything goes black.

* * *

* * *

**_NOW_ **

_Korra stopped fighting for me. She had the chance to escape but didn’t because of me._ The thought rolled through Asami’s mind until it consumed her. She knew it was ridiculous to blame herself, knew Korra would grow more upset if she knew that was what Asami was thinking but she couldn’t help it. 

Korra had gotten up to go to the bathroom at the same time Senna had brought them dinner. 

“How’s she doing?” Senna whispered.

“Uh...better? Maybe? I don’t know. She’s talking to me. Telling me...what happened. She could have escaped but she didn’t because o-”

Senna stopped her before she could continue, wiping the tears trailing down Asami’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Asami, no. This is not your fault. I need you to tell me you know this is not your fault.”

Asami could only nod. Senna wrapped her arms around the girl she was beginning to consider her second daughter before pulling back and looking in her eyes.

“You both need to eat. Make sure she eats at least half; for me?”

“Yes.” 

Asami could do that. A job to focus on, a plan to follow through. Senna placed the tray of food on Korra's desk and turned to look at Asami one last time before she left.

“Thank you, Asami. For everything. I know it’s not easy to hear it. I’ll be downstairs if you need me or want to talk.”

* * *

* * *

_**THEN** _

Korra woke up to darkness and a familiar sound. Her head was pounding and it took her a moment to figure out where she was and as soon as she did panic set in. The space was too small and suddenly everything was too loud. Each bump and pothole sent her flying in the cramped space. 

Her panic increased when she realized she was alone. _What does that mean for Asami? Did they wait for her? Did they take her too? Was she still…_ Korra couldn’t bring herself to finish that thought. Instead she tried to think back to her childhood and her therapy sessions with Katara to overcome her claustrophobia. 

It helped a little. She was able to get her breathing under control but she knew it wouldn’t last long. She had worked through it to become comfortable enough to do something like take an elevator, not spend an extended amount of time in a cramped space. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, the car had stopped moving and when the men saw she was conscious they quickly knocked her out again.

The next time she woke up she was tied to a chair. Her entire body was stiff, she had no idea how long she had been out. Korra was staring at the floor and a pair of shoes came into view. 

“I heard you put up quite the fight, Korra.”

The voice sent a chill down her spine. Korra didn’t need to look up to know who it was. _Unalaq._ She hadn’t seen him since she was a child. Her father didn’t get along with his brother and she had never questioned why. But it was becoming increasingly clear now that he was standing in front of her.

“You almost weren’t worth the trouble until I told them to get your roommate involved.”

Korra’s head snapped up and she finally took in the sight of her uncle. 

“What did you do to her?” Korra yelled as she flung her body wildly causing the chair to topple with her in it. 

“Nothing that I wouldn’t do to you.” Unalaq answered as he left. “I’ll be back when you calm down.”

Korra watched him go from her position on the floor screaming for him to come back and tell her what he had done to Asami. Screaming in the hopes that someone would hear her and come help. She screamed so much one of the men came in and picked her up off the floor, quickly unbound her arms and shoved her in a closet in the corner of the room.

 _No. No. No._ She crashed her fists into every surface; the door, the walls and the floor. There was no give to any of them. She screamed until she was hoarse. She threw herself into the door but it still didn’t give. Finally she collapsed to the floor and curled up in a ball. 

“Please. It’s too small. Please. Let me out. I’ll be quiet. I’ll do whatever you want.” She pleaded in vain.

* * *

Korra’s life followed a new pattern. Light then dark. Light then dark. Tied to a chair then shoved in a closet. Light then dark. She doesn’t know how many days pass or why this has happened. She just wants it to be over. Needs it to be over. She’s so tired. No matter how much she sleeps, or rather passes out, exhaustion settles itself into her bones. 

The little food and water they have given her has done nothing to subdue the hunger raging inside her and she knows she won’t last much longer. Unalaq had yet to reappear and she had almost written of their “interaction” as some kind of hallucination. Then he was there again. This time slapping her awake. 

“Your father isn’t cooperating.”

“My father is a better man than you will ever be. Whatever you want from him, he won’t give you.” Korra spat.

“Then I guess I don’t need you anymore; especially since the chief of police won’t give up on trying to find you.” Unalaq said with a smirk and he turned to go.

“Wait. Why are you doing this?”

Unalaq kept walking but stopped and made a show of considering Korra’s question. “Your father does not deserve the office he holds. He is unworthy of being the leader of our tribe.”

“And you’re worthy?” 

He turned on his heel, eyes narrowing before responding. “There is much you do not understand. The Red Lotus want to bring balance to the south. We will bring true -”

“YOU’RE A TERRORIST.” Korra screamed at him. She knew she shouldn’t have but she couldn’t help it. She remembered the unrest of her childhood in the south. She remembered the peace her father worked so hard to achieve in her adolescence.

Unalaq quickly crossed the room to her and she caught sight of the blade in his hand right before he placed it against her throat. Korra didn’t flinch. She had resigned herself to her fate the third time she woke up to walls pressing in on her. Unafraid she looked into eyes that matched her fathers. He didn’t move, just held her gaze before he left. 

The tension Korra held in her body during the interaction left only because she was too exhausted to care anymore. Her chin fell to her chest and the world went black. 

* * *

She awoke to the sounds of distant shouts and people running. Instead of being trapped in the dark or tied to a chair she is brought to the center of the room by one of the men who took her. He held her up because she couldn’t stand on her own. Korra was too disoriented to notice the knife in his hand. Didn’t even feel it as he swiftly plunged it into her side three times and let go of her body. 

“They may have found us but they won’t get you out of here alive.” 

He said to her as she dropped to the floor. He left her then and the room was silent. Everything was silent. _They left me here to die._ She thought to herself as she moved her hand to her side and then into her line of sight. The red that was present didn’t surprise her and the pain seemed to hit her all at once. Korra didn’t know how long she laid there but she heard the faint sound of footsteps outside the room. She knew it was or never so she tried one last time.

“If you can hear me, I’m in here.” She yelled with what little strength she had left. “Please help.”

The pace of the footsteps increases and three police officers kick in the door. Korra’s relief was only momentary before paramedics were on her shouting out vitals and calling for the stretcher. She feels herself going cold, feels her eyes sliding shut, then feels nothing.

* * *

The faint smell of sterilization was the first sensation to greet Korra’s senses. The next was the sound of a familiar voice. _Dr. Tenzin._

“...she’s stable and should wake up shortly. When she’s awake, we’ll check her over for signs of a concussion then the police will want a statement from her.”

“Somehow the knife missed everything vital. She’ll need to take it easy but we should be able to release her in a couple of weeks.” A less familiar female voice chimed in. _Kya?_

A deep sigh signaled the presence of a third person. “Thank you.” 

“Mom?” Korra croaked as she finally cracked her eyes open only to immediately slam them shut from the amount of light.

Senna was immediately by her daughter’s side with Tonraq not far behind, clutching her daughter’s hand and whispering that she was there, that Korra was safe and in the hospital. They didn't get to stay long. Her parents were whisked away by a nurse as a team of doctors descended on her to check her vitals and ask her questions about how she was feeling. 

When the doctors were done her mother was ushered back to her followed by two police officers. Korra didn’t want to have to think about what had happened but she knew she had to get it over with, then she could go back to normal. The police officers informed her that her mother was to be present since she had a minor head injury. Korra tried to argue that she was fine and that Senna didn’t need to hear the details but ultimately the decision was not hers to make. She answered all their questions, filled in their blanks and was told that the three men who had taken her had been captured. 

“What about Unalaq?” Korra asked them.

Senna’s sharp intake of breath was more than enough to indicate to Korra that no one knew about him. 

“Who’s Unalaq?” One of the officers asked. 

“He was there, he was the one who orchestrated the whole thing. He wanted my father to resign.”

“We’ll look into it.” The officer replied, turning to pick up his coat.

When the officers were gone, and she was alone with her mother she needed the answer to the only question that had mattered to her since she woke up. 

“Where’s Asami? Is she okay?”

Senna looked in her daughter’s eyes and saw the fear and tears threatening to spill over. 

“She’s okay. Asami is fine, Korra. I spoke to her this morning. Why?”

“They said...they would wait for her and Unalaq, he...he made it seem like she was…” Korra was cut off by sobs that racked her body causing her to grimace in pain but Senna could tell she was relieved.

“Mom, can you go? I want to be alone.”

Senna gave her a resigned look and nodded. Korra knew she was breaking her mother’s heart but she couldn't bring herself to be near her. She didn’t want to have to talk. She didn’t want to have to share the air with another person who knew how broken she was. She wanted everything to be normal. 

After her mother left, Korra called for the nurse. She was in so much pain she didn’t care how whatever medication they would give her made her feel. The nurse showed her the button attached to her IV.

“Press this when the pain becomes too much. It’ll work once every two hours for the next few days. After that we move you to standard pain meds.” The nurse explained. “Dinner will be here at 6:00. You’re on a strict diet to get some weight back on you and to bring all your levels back up to normal.”

Korra nodded as she pushed the button and the nurse left. She felt sleep take her quickly after.

* * *

Asami was in the chair next to her bed when the pain in her side pulled her from sleep. Korra looked over at her sleeping form and felt a sense of comfort and safety she had thought was lost forever.

Korra’s staring was interrupted by a nurse placing a tray of food on her table and reminding her she had to eat it, “all of it.” Korra looked down at the tray. _Is that even food?_ She looked up at the nurse and frowned, making it clear that it was not going to happen. 

“You have to eat.” The nurse said firmly. 

Korra shook her head. _I’m not eating that._ The nurse let out an exasperated sigh. 

Asami’s voice came to her rescue. “Leave it here. I’ll make sure she eats.”

The nurse rolled her eyes and left. Asami got up to look at the tray and grimaced before she quickly got out her phone and tapped through an app. After some time, she left and came back with a bag from Narook’s and set down Korra’s favorite meal. 

“Thank you.” Korra whispered before she dug in. Once she was finished and Asami had hidden the gray lumps from the hospital tray in their empty containers they sat in silence for a few hours. Asami occasionally checked her phone and Korra just stared. She stared at the walls, out the windows, at the door and mostly at Asami. She wanted to make sure she was real, that she was really safe and okay. 

“I’m gonna go home.” Asami said as she moved to get up.

Korra quickly stretched out her hand to push her back into the chair. 

Asami looked startled by the touch but quickly gave Korra a soft smile. “Okay. I’ll stay, but I need to call my dad to bring me some things.”

* * *

* * *

_**NOW** _

When Korra was finally done they laid in silence before Korra quickly fell asleep. Telling Asami what happened had been emotionally exhausting for both of them. The clock on Korra’s nightstand read 2:37 am but Asami knew sleep wouldn’t find her anytime soon. Instead she watched the gentle rise and fall of Korra’s chest. Asami couldn’t bring herself to leave Korra. She was worried she would have another nightmare and wanted to be close just in case.

The knowledge of what Korra had gone through didn’t change anything for Asami. In reality, it confirmed what she already knew about Korra: she was selfless and the strongest person Asami knew. She took comfort in the fact that Korra had said she _needed_ to tell Asami.

Eventually she felt her eyes grow heavy and she let herself drift off with the knowledge that Korra was safe. She was struggling but she was safe and for now that was more than enough.


	4. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra resolves to actually take her therapist's advice and do things that will help her gain normalcy. Normalcy causes Asami to have some BIG feelings. Senna and Tonraq are there for their girls like always. Some fluff, some hurt, some comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever. Had some major writers block so I wrote a different thing and then came back to this and was still stuck but...here we back are and I'm pretty happy with it. (Bonus points to you if you get the MFM reference). 
> 
> HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Korra was slowly pulled from what she was considering the best sleep of her life by gentle puffs of air against her neck, a sleepily whined “no” and an arm tightening around her waist as she tried to roll over. She opened her eyes and carefully angled her head to see Asami curled around her with her head tucked into the crook of her neck. Letting her eyes slip closed again, Korra decided to savor the moment; not knowing when or if another like it would come around a second time.

After a few moments and a good amount of rumbling from her stomach she knew she had to get up and eat something. _But how?_ Korra thought to herself as she tried to carefully untangle one of her legs from Asami’s and immediately felt the press of a cold foot on her calf as the other woman chased her for warmth. 

As gently as she could, Korra reached for the extra blanket that lay abandoned behind Asami and began the process of wrapping her best friend like a burrito as she extricated her limbs. When she was done, Asami seemed to burrow herself further into the pillows that surrounded her, content to keep sleeping without her personal heater. Korra quietly made her way out of the room and down the stairs.Talking with Asami had made her feel almost normal and it made her realize that Katara was right, as she always was, she needed to communicate with those around her about things that were easy and hard. She figured she would start with breakfast and her mother. 

* * *

Senna stood at the sink and gazed into the backyard as she sipped her coffee. She had spent the majority of her night laying in bed hearing the murmurs and sniffles that emanated from Korra’s room until the wee hours of the morning. When the house was filled with silence she was finally able to relax and get some sleep but it didn’t last long. She was up at about her usual time and tried to brace herself for what she believed would be a long day. 

Asami was strong but Senna felt like she knew the young woman would need to have a conversation about everything she had been told the previous night. The long nights they had spent together while Korra was missing had taught Senna that Asami best processed things with a sounding board. She heard footsteps in the hall and was surprised to see Korra enter the kitchen before noon. 

She eyed her daughter carefully before turning back to the window. Korra rummaged through the fridge for a moment before talking to her mother from behind the open door. 

“Mom, do you want anything?”

Senna smiled to herself, “I’ll have a little of whatever you’re making.”

They stayed quiet for a moment as Korra pulled out some pans and pulled several spices from the cabinet. 

“Have you seen Asami this morning? She’s usually up by now.”

“Uhhh...she’s still asleep.” Korra responded as she set the pan in her hand down a little too hard on the stove as she quickly turned to face her mother. “We fell asleep talking last night so she’s still in my room.”

Senna tried her best to keep her face a mask of impassivity. She was well aware of the special connection between Korra and Asami and realized that both of them were very shy about their feelings for the other and as much as she wanted to give her very enthusiastic approval she knew Korra wasn’t quite ready for that.

“Well, she needs the sleep. She doesn’t get enough of it. Although I think she was supposed to get some work done this morning.”

Korra’s brow furrowed as she lit the burner and worried her bottom lip. Senna saw the tension gathering in her daughter’s shoulders the more she thought about it. 

“Honey, she won’t be upset with you for letting her sleep.” 

Korra simply nodded and began cooking.

* * *

The shaft of light that broke through the place where the curtains didn’t quite meet fell on Asami’s face at just the right angle to blind her as she opened her eyes. The sunlight and the unfamiliar room disoriented her for a moment before she remembered she was in the Southern Water Tribe and in Korra’s bed. She rolled over so the light was no longer directly in her eyes and found that Korra was gone. Surprised by this she sat up, looked around and checked the time. _12:48 pm...and I’m still tired._

She groaned. Realizing she had missed two scheduled conference calls and a video call with her dad. Asami collapsed onto the bed and buried her head in the pillows. She knew no one would be upset with her; they knew she was technically on a leave of absence but she had wanted to do a little work and everyone was being very accommodating so that made her feel worse. She was grumbling to herself and in the process of contemplating getting up to grab her phone from the other room to call to apologize when she heard a chuckle emanate from the opposite side of the room.

Asami turned her head to face the door and was greeted by the sight of Korra leaning against the doorframe holding a mug. Her nose immediately recognized the mug was full of coffee. Coffee that Korra would never drink. _Coffee for me._ She quickly sat up as Korra finally started to walk toward the bed and reached out for the mug while wiggling her fingers. 

Korra rolled her eyes and shot a smug smile her way but stopped so that she and the mug were just out of Asami’s reach from her position on the bed. Not wanting to move any farther Asami did her best interpretation of the pout Korra always used on her when she wanted to order Narook’s for the third time in a week but Korra didn’t budge.

“Oh, does Ms. Idon’tneedsleep but I just slept past noon want something?” Korra teased.

Asami huffed as she let herself fall back into the pillows behind her. “Pleeaaassseeee.”

“Only if you sit up and scooch.” Korra said as she tried and failed to bite back a smile. 

Pleased with herself but wanting to keep Korra in her happy mood, Asami made a big show of rolling over to make room for Korra and slowly pushing herself up until she was leaning against the headboard. Once she had met Korra’s requirements the mug was gently placed in her hands and Korra whispered a firm “Don’t spill,” before climbing onto the bed to sit next to her.

Asami’s first sip of coffee was pure bliss. Somehow Korra had added the perfect amount of sugar even though Asami only drank coffee as she drove to Future Industries for work so Korra would have never seen her order or fix herself a cup. 

“How?” was all she managed to ask between sips.

Korra looked at her in confusion. “‘How', what?”

“How did you make this so perfect?” Asami said as she gazed at the mug of coffee with a look that could only be considered adoration. 

Korra shrugged, “I make it my business to know how my best friend takes her coffee even if she only drinks it while driving.”

“I-uh-wh-h- _How do you know that?”_

Asami felt Korra’s side eye before she saw it.

“Asami, you _always_ leave your mugs in the car. Once I found every mug that was supposed to be in the apartment there because I went to make some tea and had nothing to put it in.”

Asami winced and shot Korra an apologetic smile. 

Korra grabbed Asami’s free hand and gave it a soft squeeze. 

“It was actually pretty funny after the fact but maybe in the future don’t hoard all the mugs.”

Asami pretended to consider Korra’s suggestion but in reality her brain had grabbed hold of _in the future_ and ran with it. _Does she mean we’ll live together again? Or just so I don’t run out of mugs on my own since she won’t be there to pull them out of the back seat?_ They sat in silence for a moment; hands still resting together. Asami continued thinking about what Korra had said until her rapid fire thoughts were finally interrupted when Korra spoke.

“Thank you.”

Asami’s brow furrowed as she cast a sideways glance at Korra. “For what?”

“For listening. For being here. For caring. For...everything. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Asami listened to Korra’s words. She could hear how genuine they were but she also knew Korra well enough to know that there was a deeper meaning behind them. She gently flipped her hand over so she could entwine their fingers as she took a long sip of her coffee. Korra leaned over to place her head on Asami’s shoulder. Feeling Korra against her, Asami’s body moved without thought. She gently turned her head and placed a delicate kiss on Korra’s hairline as she whispered, “Always.”

* * *

As much as Korra wanted to stay in her morning bubble with Asami, she knew Asami had to get to work and she wanted to workout for the first time in months. When they finally parted, Korra changed and grabbed her gym bag, tossing in her basketball shoes and an extra shirt to change into when she was done so she wouldn’t be freezing on her walk home and headed down the stairs. When she passed the kitchen her mother caught sight of her.

“No. No way. It’s too cold to walk to the gym.”

“But -”

“Korra, no. Remember the last time? You were sick for two weeks. Maybe it’s time you learn to drive. I’m sure Asami would be more than happy to teach you.” Senna said with a wink.

Korra felt her cheeks heat up. _This is worse than the concern. I liked it better when she wouldn’t tease me._ Korra sighed before huffing out, “She’s busy.”

Her mother was not pleased with that excuse. Korra watched in abject horror as Senna walked to the bottom of the stairs. 

“Hey, Asami?” Senna called. 

A faint “yes,” drifted down and footsteps sounded as Asami made her way to the top of the stairs. When she reached the top Senna pressed on.

“Korra wants to go to the gym and she was going to walk but it’s far too cold and I have some things I need to do around the house. Would you mind going with her? Use it as an opportunity for her to get some practice driving?”

At this point Korra was surprised her jaw hadn’t hit the floor yet. _What? Is she..Is my mother being my wingman?!?_

“Oh, sure. I can do that. Korra do you mind if I finish up rescheduling my calls and then we can head out?”

“Y-yeah. Yepp. Sounds great.” Korra squeaked out. _Why is my voice so high?_ She cleared her throat, hopeful it would bring her voice back to it’s normal pitch, “I’ll just wait down here.”

Korra heard Asami’s steps retreating and she turned to face her mother; her best approximation of the glare Senna shot her when she was in trouble on her face. Senna, for her part, was feeling absolutely no shame so Korra turned to her back up plan; the pout. 

“Moooommm. WHY? You know I’m a terrible driver. I’m going to embarrass myself. There’s a reason I never asked her to teach me before.”

“You’ll do fine and if not, you’ll just have to keep trying,” her mother replied with a shrug. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to have a relaxing bath while you play some basketball. I love you.” Senna said as she placed a kiss on Korra’s cheek and headed up the stairs.

“Love you too.” Korra grumbled as she watched her mother’s retreating form.

* * *

Asami had planned on running some laps on the indoor track of the gym while Korra played a pickup game with some of the local high school students but she felt like the drive to the local rec center had been more than enough cardiovascular exercise for the day. Korra’s driving skills were...subpar. Asami was pretty sure at one point that she had permanently cemented herself to the grab handle with how tight her grip had been. So instead of running she pulled out her phone and kept some stats for Korra while she played.

Eventually Asami got tired of watching Korra “break ankles and hearts,” and started listing out safety features that were standard on higher end Satomobiles to become standard on their base models. _If parents had to go through what I went through on the short trip to the gym, they can do it with lane-departure detection._ Her attention completely removed from the court, she didn’t notice Korra sitting next to her until a tan elbow passed over her phone screen as Korra removed her sweaty shirt and began to dig through her bag for her clean one. 

And there they were. Three angry pink lines of raised skin on Korra’s left side. Asami knew they were there but she hadn’t seen them yet. She let out a shaky breath and felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she tore her gaze away. _Not here. Not now._ She thought to herself as she once again shoved every thought and feeling she had had as Korra talked to her last night into the back corner of her mind again. Asami couldn’t break down about Korra to Korra. It wouldn’t be fair. Instead, she pulled on her jacket and silently followed Korra to the car.

* * *

Korra had had enough of driving for one day so she placed the keys into Asami’s hand and slid into the passenger seat. She had noticed that Asami seemed a little on edge and was avoiding making eye contact with her but she was not prepared to watch silent tears stream down her best friend’s cheeks during the 10 minute drive home. Korra had also never seen Asami throw a car in park and get out with the keys still in the ignition and the engine running. 

When Korra reached the house after taking care of the car Asami was nowhere in sight but her boots and jacket were thrown haphazardly on the floor by the coat closet; a clear sign of her distress. Her worry growing, Korra checked every room on the lower floor of the house for her friend and even ventured out to the workshop but she was nowhere to be found. She made her way up the stairs and down the hall toward Asami’s room. Korra was about halfway there when she heard the sound of Asami’s quiet sobs through the door followed by soft whispers of assurances from her mother. 

Not wanting to insert herself in something Asami clearly didn’t want her to be a part of she continued down the hall to her room and took a shower. When she was done, the faint sobs were gone and had been replaced by silence. Korra was still unsure of her place in whatever was going on so she headed back downstairs to her mother’s office to try to finish up the last of her school work. As she worked the house remained silent save for the ticking of the clock on the wall, the only indication of the sheer amount of time that had passed since she and Asami had returned home. When Korra was finished she made her way to the kitchen expecting to find her mother there but all she found was darkness and empty chairs. 

Korra considered her options for a moment before deciding to make dinner. If she couldn’t help Asami with whatever she was going through, she could help her mother help Asami by cooking dinner for everyone. She was putting the finishing touches on the stew when she heard the crunching of gravel on the driveway indicating her father was home. _Maybe he’ll know what I should do._

As soon as her father walked through the front door, Korra wrapped her arms around him. He was slightly surprised by the action but quickly lifted his daughter into a tight hug just as he had done when he returned from work every evening when she was little. Korra hadn’t realized how worried and in the dark she was feeling about everything that had happened in the past few hours until her feet left the floor. Tonraq gently put Korra back on solid ground before pulling her chin up so she would look him in the eyes. 

“Not that I didn’t love that but what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I don’t actually know. Asami and I went to the gym today -”

“That’s great! I’m so glad you were feeling up to it. How did everything feel?”

Korra couldn’t help but smile at her father’s enthusiasm. He was looking at her like she had won March Madness and not schooled a bunch of high school boys with no effort. 

“It felt pretty great, actually but that’s not what’s wrong,” she replied as her face fell. “Before we left, Asami started acting kinda weird and then she cried the whole time she drove us home and ran in here and has been in her room with mom since.”

Tonraq nodded and didn’t seem overly surprised by this information and Korra was left wondering what exactly had happened while she was missing. She had never thought to ask until now. He lightly placed a hand on her back and guided her to the kitchen where he took a seat at the table while Korra reduced the heat of the burner under the stew. Korra watched as her father thought for another moment carefully weighing what he was going to say. 

“Asami is...a very strong woman. Surprisingly strong, actually. She only cried the first time she saw us after you were…” he trailed off knowing Korra would understand. “After that she was always there, asking questions, making sure your mother and I got enough to eat and sleep. She was constantly on the go. Did you know she still attended all of her classes? Didn’t miss a single one.”

Korra could only shake her head no.

“Anyway, she...” he paused, knowing that what he was about to say would potentially upset Korra. “She blamed herself. Asami thought, or rather still thinks, that if she had been there things might have turned out differently. Which is why I think she took care of everyone else and neglected the things she was feeling.”

Tonraq paused to allow Korra to think for a moment but Korra didn’t really want to think about the implications of what her father had said. She knew Asami well enough to know that she sometimes pushed her feelings aside even when it was a detriment to herself and on some level, Korra had known that Asami blamed herself but she hadn’t wanted to face that. 

“Do you think me telling her what happened last night could have something to do with what’s happening now?”

She asked as she removed the pot from the heat and served up two bowls. Once she had placed the bowls on the table and taken the seat across from Tonraq, he answered. 

“I don’t think so. I called your mom around lunch time and she said that both of you were in a great mood this morning. We had thought that Asami would want to talk after she woke up but apparently that wasn’t the case. Did anything strange happen while you two were out?” 

Korra chewed a bite of food as she thought through everything that had happened since her mother decided to play wingman at the foot of the stairs. 

“Uhhh...no. I drove us to the gym - “

Tonraq’s eyes seemed to grow to the size of the bowl in front of him. “ _You drove?_ ”

“Yes. Ha ha. Korra can’t drive. Anyway, as I was saying. I drove us to the gym. Asami was going to run but instead she took some stats for me and then I think she was doing some work. Then we left and she drove us back here.”

Korra watched as her father considered the information with pursed lips. “So whatever it was had to have happened between when she was taking stats and when you all left. Did you get hurt or anything?”

“No, I just played like usual and then when I was ready to go I…” and then she remembered the exact moment she felt the air shift between them. Her father looked at her expectantly, urging her to go on. 

“I changed my shirt.”

Tonraq gave her a confused look. “So, she’s your roommate and has been to nearly all your games. She's seen you change your shirt before.”

“Yeah but not with the scars.”

A look of understanding shot across her father’s face. “Oh.”

“I’m not ashamed of them. They’re a part of me so I didn’t even think about it. So, I just changed like I always have. But now that I think about it, Asami always left the room when they checked the stitches. She’d never seen them.”

Her father nodded, “I will say, the first time I saw them, I felt like someone had ripped the air from my lungs. It reminded me of how fragile you are,” he finished quietly. 

Korra nodded. Her remaining appetite suddenly gone. She pushed her bowl away and heard footsteps descending the stairs. Senna appeared in the kitchen a few seconds later and scooped up Korra’s bowl to add another serving to it before sitting down and digging in. Her mother answered Korra’s question before she could get it out. 

“She’s okay. She’d been avoiding it, you know?”

“Avoiding what, exactly?”

Senna sighed between bites of food, “Everything, really. Mainly the elephant in the room.”

“Me dying for six minutes?”

Her mother nodded and tears slipped from her eyes and her father quickly left the kitchen. Korra understood how hard it was for them to not only have to live with that knowledge but to have to hear it repeatedly. It was the one piece of information she had omitted as she told Asami what happened. But Asami already knew; she had gone over Korra’s hospital records with Senna during the first few days of Korra’s hospitalization to make sure they were keeping track of everything. 

After a moment, Senna turned to her, “You should go up there.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Yes, you do. You do what she does for you. Hold her and comfort her. Listen to anything she has to say. Cry with her; don’t keep your feelings locked inside. Show her that vulnerability goes both ways.”

Korra made her way upstairs and softly knocked on Asami’s door before slipping inside. She stood near the door, looking unsure of what to do before realizing that Asami hadn’t heard her entrance and walked toward the bed where Asami laid eerily still, tears still streaming down her face.

* * *

Asami laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. She didn’t know how she was still crying. She hadn’t managed to stop after she started and didn’t see any end in sight. Senna had been wonderful to her; gathering Asami in her arms and swiftly ushering her upstairs and shutting the door behind them. Almost like she knew it was coming. It was comforting to know that a mother cared for her in such a way.

Their long and reassuring conversation had helped Asami come to terms with many feelings she had been neglecting for the past two months but she was still hung up on one. _Korra died._ Her heart stopped for six minutes; the trauma too much for her exhausted and malnourished body to handle. Seeing her today, active and playing the sport she loves with joy that hadn’t graced Korra’s features in so long, had been more than enough to make Asami feel like everything was going to be alright. Even with the pressing thoughts that came from their conversation the previous night, Asami felt reassured. Korra was on an upswing in her recovery and Asami had been intent on enjoying it. 

But seeing those three lines that hadn’t been there any other time Korra had changed her shirt in a crowded room or their apartment felt like being hit over the head repeatedly with a stick that beat _Korra died_ into her mind until there was room for nothing else _._ Asami had lost Korra and she had not let herself feel anything related to that until now. And it wouldn’t go away. She tried to think of things that usually calmed her, schematics, her senior project, her grad school plans but none of it worked.

Suddenly Korra was there; laying down beside her and pulling Asami toward her with strong arms. Asami melted into Korra and moved her head so that her ear rested just above Korra’s heart. The strong _thump-thump_ she heard was both reassuring and somehow opened the floodgates again.

“You died.” Asami choked out between a fresh wave of sobs as she clung to Korra tighter. She felt like if she let go Korra would disappear. 

“I did. But I’m still here. I’ve got you.” _Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

* * *

Korra didn’t know how long they laid like that, Korra gently stroking Asami’s back while Asami kept her ear pressed to Korra’s heart. Eventually the room grew pitch black and while Korra knew Asami was content to lay in silence, they needed to actually talk. At least a little, so she sat up and turned on the lamp next to the bed. When she turned to face Asami she took Asami’s hands into her own and looked into green eyes that switched between fear, sadness and elation. Korra slowly removed one of her hands from Asami’s and gripped the hem of her shirt. 

“I want to show you on your own terms. You hadn’t seen it before and I didn’t mean to surprise you earlier. Are you ready?”

Asami closed her eyes and nodded as she took a deep breath in. Korra raised her shirt so that it was just above her scars and gave Asami’s hand a gentle squeeze to let her know she could open her eyes. Tears didn’t come this time; instead, Asami seemed to study them and after a moment she tentatively moved her hand toward Korra’s side before stopping short and meeting Korra’s eyes.

“They don’t hurt anymore, you can touch them,” Korra said softly.

Asami’s touch was so gentle Korra could barely feel it. As calloused fingers traced over each raised line Korra watched Asami’s face flit through a series of emotions. 

“You’re okay,” Asami whispered. 

“I’m okay,” Korra confirmed as Asami’s movements stopped. Asami’s hand rested on her side so it covered the healed wounds completely. Blue eyes met green once again and Korra got a good look at Asami for the first time since they had returned home. She was still beautiful with red-rimmed eyes and dark streaks of mascara on her cheeks. Korra could tell Asami had more to say and waited patiently as the other woman opened and closed her mouth until she started to form partial sentences.

“I’m sorry for how I reacted. I had just...I knew but I didn’t want to - I never let myself...and I should’ve-”

Korra was not about to let Asami apologize to her for feeling things.

“Hey, no. None of that. You have every right to feel the way you feel and if you aren’t ready to share that with me I’ll wait. Just like you do for me. However long it takes.”

Asami looked down at the bed and started twisting her fingers together; a new habit Korra assumed was from the stress and worry Asami had carried around for months. Korra placed her hands over Asami’s to still them and she felt the engineer relax under her touch as if that was the only way Asami could convince herself Korra was okay. 

“You should get some sleep, Sams.”

Asami merely nodded and got up to head to the bathroom to do her nightly routine but quickly turned around and pulled Korra into a tight hug as she whispered goodnight in her ear. When Korra got back to her own room she made quick work of brushing her teeth and washing her face before climbing into bed. She had just about drifted off to sleep when the sound of footsteps in the hall and the quiet opening of her door roused her. Soon after Korra felt the bed dip to the right of her. A pale arm slipped over her waist and a head of black curls settled on her chest. 

“Is this okay?” Asami softly asked.

“It’s perfect.” She said as she adjusted herself so she could wrap her arms around Asami. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are wading back into happiness territory. Thank god cause it hurts my soul when they are sad/in pain even though I know I'm the one inflicting it. 🤷🏼♀️


	5. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Korra.” Asami waited a second but Korra hadn’t seemed to notice she was speaking. “Korra!” She said a little louder as she tossed the grease rag she was using into the other woman’s line of sight.
> 
> Korra’s eyes snapped to Asami, “Huh?”
> 
> “What’s wrong?” Asami asked.
> 
> “I, uh, I actually need to talk to you about something...well, really I actually need to ask you something and it’s kinda big but then at the same time, I feel like I’m assuming something if I ask you the thing I need to ask you when we haven’t talked about the thing I’m making an assumption about and -”
> 
> She hasn’t rambled like this in a while, Asami thought to herself before she softly interrupted saying, “Korra, you can ask me anything.”

Korra and Asami fell into a new nightly routine after their first two nights spent together. They had initially tried to go back to sleeping separately but Korra felt safe with Asami by her side and Asami was reassured by Korra’s presence. So, one of them would find their way to the other sometime after they had both attempted to sleep but only succeeded in tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling. Both were sleeping better, Korra more soundly and Asami longer than she ever had before and if Korra’s parents had noticed, they didn’t mention anything.

The two women didn’t talk about it, or what it meant; afterall, it was just sleeping and an occasional conversation to talk through their feelings and the events of when Korra was missing. It felt safest to talk about it in darkness under blankets and curled around each other. Neither was ready to confront their other feelings even though both women knew the other reciprocated them. That would be a conversation for later when they were on emotionally secure ground regarding the trauma Korra went through and the ripple effect it had on those around her. 

After a week of their new routine, Asami had become an expert at extracting herself from bed without waking Korra. Ever the early riser, she would wake up and quietly change her clothes before heading downstairs for a cooking lesson from Senna and then a little tinkering session in the workshop that Tonraq would occasionally join. The four of them were moving in a way Asami had forgotten families moved.

Tonraq and Senna always made sure she and Korra knew what was going on each day and whether or not they had anything they needed them to do to help out around the house. The four of them had dinner together each night and would then head to the living room where they would watch TV or a movie together. After which they would head upstairs one-by-one bidding the others goodnight. 

So it was no surprise to her when, one morning, she heard the clatter of Korra attempting to roll out the ball cart _(who knew a person could own and actively use 20 basketballs?!?)_ while she was working on an upgrade for the circuit boards in the alarm system. She sighed as she quickly grabbed some tools and the ancient looking can of oil and headed out to the makeshift half-court on the opposite end of the yard.

She paused for a moment, watching as Korra quickly warmed up then started sinking threes. By the time she started walking again, Korra was in the process collecting all the balls and Asami moved faster to beat Korra to the cart. 

“Hold on. Let me fix it.” Asami said as she dropped to her knees and flipped the cart onto its side. 

“Asami, it’s fine. It’s really not a problem; I’ve been dragging it around since I was like 15.”

Asami shot her a frown that left no room for argument and returned her attention to the rusted frame. As Asami worked, Korra finished gathering the balls and sat on the pavement. She had finished adjusting and greasing two of the wheels when she noticed that Korra was staring off to the side and biting the inside of her cheek; the actions she always took when she was deep in thought and nervous about whatever it was. 

“Korra.” Asami waited a second but Korra hadn’t seemed to notice she was speaking. “Korra!” She said a little louder as she tossed the grease rag she was using into the other woman’s line of sight.

Korra’s eyes snapped to Asami, “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Asami asked.

“I, uh, I actually need to talk to you about something...well, really I actually need to ask you something and it’s kinda big but then at the same time, I feel like I’m assuming something if I ask you the thing I need to ask you when we haven’t talked about the thing I’m making an assumption about and -”

_She hasn’t rambled like this in a while,_ Asami thought to herself before she softly interrupted saying, “Korra, you can ask me anything.”

Korra nodded and took a deep breath in, “Okay, well, Katara thinks I should get a service dog for my PTSD for when I’m on my own. You know, in class and when I have to fly and stuff.”

Asami was confused, _why would she need to ask me about a dog, it's her choice._ “Okay? Are you asking me if I think you should get one cause that’s totally up to you.”

“No, it’s just that, I assume we’re going to keep living together and -”

“A correct assumption,” Asami interjected. _Well that takes are of that and I actually need to get on that whole finding a new place to live thing._

“Okay, so then you should have a say as to whether or not we get a dog.”

All Asami could think was _we. We, as in together. We are getting a dog. We are getting a dog together like a couple and oh,_ **_we_ ** _still need to have_ **_that_ ** _conversation._ She calmed her thoughts enough to coyly reply, “Why, Korra of the Southern Watertribe, are you asking me to adopt a dog with you?”

Korra’s jaw went slack for a moment as she stared at Asami in a way that reminded her of their first meeting in the library nearly three years ago. _Yes, soon, like before we decide to adopt a dog together._

“Y-yes, I am asking if you...if you would like to be a dog-mom with me. H-Help me choose because they would also be your dog too. Please.”

Asami pretended to think about it for a moment. There was no way she was going to say no to Korra getting a service dog to _help her._ But she also realized that this wasn’t just Korra getting a service dog. This was Korra and herself getting a dog together which meant it was time to take the leap.

* * *

Senna bolted as soon as she heard Korra calling for her. She quickly untangled herself from the blanket she was wrapped in and haphazardly threw the book she had been reading on the chair. Korra was headed up the stairs two at a time with her back to Senna shouting “Mom!” the whole way.

“Korra, honey, I’m down here. What’s wrong?” she called as she made her way to the bottom of the stairs.

She watched as Korra’s sock covered feet slid down a few stairs before Korra was able to catch herself on the railing to prevent what would have been a nasty fall. Once she was sure her daughter was on steady feet she looked at Korra’s face and saw mild panic. When Korra reached the bottom of the stairs she took her mother by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. Senna felt herself begin to panic but tried to remain outwardly calm. Korra was still staring but her panic looked like it was switching over to bewilderment.

“Mom, Asamisaidwecouldgetadogbutonlyontheconditionthat-”

“Korra, slow down. I got ‘mom’ and ‘Asami’ out of that.”

She watched as her daughter closed her eyes and took a deep breath in to calm herself before trying again.

“Asami said we could get a dog -”

“That’s great! Katara will be happy to hear that.”

“Yes, but she said there was a condition.”

“And that condition would be?”

“We go on a date.” Korra squeaked. 

_Explains the panic,_ Senna thought to herself with a smile. “I assume you said yes to that condition and that is why you gave me a heart attack?”

Korra rapidly nodded. “What do I do? Where do I take her? What do I wear? I thought I had more time to plan all this and it would be in Republic City and I could really wine and dine her and -”

“I thought you didn’t want me to, how did you put it, oh yes, _meddle._ ” 

“That was before; this is now and now I am officially asking for you to meddle. So. Please meddle.”

Senna gave her a warm smile and chuckled as she started to lead Korra up the stairs, “Let’s start with what to wear first.”

* * *

Asami’s hands were shaking as she hit the call button on her phone. It rang for what seemed like an eternity but Jinora’s sleepy face finally appeared on the screen. 

“Asami...what? It’s four in the morning…”

“Hang on,” Asami cut in, “I’m adding Opal to the call.”

Opal answered in a similar fashion but with the addition of Bolin whining “who is it?” in the background and Asami peeked out of the workshop to make sure Korra was still inside.

“Okay, guys, this is big. Opal, make sure Bolin is awake.” she paused for dramatic effect and to watch as Opal nudged Bolin until his face came into frame with hers.

“Korra and I are going on a date! Tonight! I have a date with Korra...oh, I didn’t not think this through. What will I wear? Wh-”

Jinora cut in before Asami could spiral any farther, “First, congratulations and FINALLY. This is actually worth the video call at an obscene hour. Second, I know you packed like 8 boxes of clothing, you just have to dig through it. Right, Opal?”

Opal, and Bolin for that matter, had dozed off sometime after their sleepily murmured congratulations before Jinora started speaking.

“Opal!” Jinora said loudly enough to rouse her.

“Wha-, oh yes, finally. What’s the problem? Can we fix it later? It’s too early to be awake.”

Asami laughed as Jinora muttered a stern “Fine.” Opal took that as her permission to leave and ended her part of the call.

“Call us back before you get ready with some options. She’ll love you in whatever you wear. You know that, right? Also, you’ve technically been on so many dates togeth-”

“This is different. It’s a real date. As in I am going to ask her to be my girlfriend at the end of the night. It needs to be perfect.”

“Okay, okay. Just calm down. It’ll all be fine.”

“I know. I just...what if I mess it up like I did with Mako?”

If looks could kill, Asami was pretty sure Jinora would have been successful from hundreds of miles away. Jinora sighed before she answered. 

“Asami, this is not the same. First of all, you are older and have a better grasp on what’s important to you and how to manage your time accordingly. And second, I was there for the Mako thing and you didn’t feel like you feel about Korra with him. Plus, you and Korra already know each other. She knows your quirks and where she needs to help you and you know the same about her. So yes, it’s different but not much different. You’ll do great and she’ll say yes.”

Asami breathed a sigh of relief, “How do you always know just what to say?” 

Jinora shrugged, “Ehh...It helps when you’ve been dating the same guy since middle school. Oh, and all the psychology courses I’ve had to take for med school. ”

“That still blows my mind. When are you and Kai getting married?”

“Whenever he grows a pair and asks me to. I’m not doing it,” Jinora replied with a chuckle. “So, call us later, when Opal is conscious and you’ve told her again because you know she won’t remember any of what just happened.”

“Will do. It was great to see you, Jinora. I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too, Asami. And Korra, of course. Now, I actually have to get up and head to work. Love you!”

Asami managed to get in a hurried “Love you, too!” before the screen went blank.

* * *

Korra nervously paced the length of her bedroom. She stopped in front of the mirror for the thousandth time and smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her light blue button up and navy jeans. She slipped on her favorite vans and grabbed her jacket. Korra ran a hand through her hair one last time and wondered if she had made the right choice by going to the salon earlier in the day but it was too late to go back now. _It’ll grow back if she hates it._ And with that final thought she opened her bedroom door and made her way to the living room.

When she reached the threshold she stopped and leaned on the doorframe. Asami sat in a chair with her nose in a book and she was a sight to behold. Korra noticed that Asami had kept it simple, as she usually did, and in her usual color scheme. A perfectly flowing white blouse under her black leather jacket paired with maroon jeans tucked into chic black chelsea boots and flawless makeup like always. She was staring but she figured since this was a date, she kind of had permission to. After a moment to collect her thoughts, Korra made her presence known.

“I...hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

Asami quickly closed her book, not caring about what page she was on and got up to cross the room to Korra. Korra relaxed when she felt Asami’s arms wrap around her and she returned the embrace. When they let go of each other, Asami took a step back and Korra could feel Asami’s eyes travel over every inch of her. 

“Well, I’ve been waiting since the night I saw you in the gym so what’s that? Threeish years,” she said with a chuckle. 

Korra couldn’t help but smile as she whispered, “Me too.”

Asami reached out and tucked Korra’s hair behind her ear. Korra avoided Asami’s eyes and nervously ran a hand through the other side. 

“I love it. It really suits you.”

Korra blushed as she breathed out a sigh of relief, “Thanks, you’re looking...snazzy as always.”

_Snazzy. SNAZZY. Are you suddenly from the 30s? Wait a sec. Apparently snazzy works_ , Korra thought to herself as she watched Asami’s cheeks flush. She offered Asami her hand and led her to the car.

* * *

Despite not being familiar with the area, Asami insisted on driving. Korra had gotten a little better in the week since they had first practiced but Asami was nervous enough about their date and didn’t want to sweat through her outfit before making it to dinner. Korra’s hand found hers where it rested on the gearstick and interlaced their fingers. Asami followed Korra’s directions to the small diner with ease and was not at all surprised to walk in and find pictures and news articles of Korra’s basketball career plastered on the wall. There was even an autographed jersey proudly displayed behind the cash register. They settled in a booth by the window and were greeted by a waiter.

“Hey Korra, it’s great to see you! Oooh, who’s your friend?”

“Hakoda! It’s been too long! This is Asami,” she informed him with a shy smile.

Hakoda turned to Asami, “Nice to meet you, Asami. Would you like to hear the specials?”

Time slipped past them in the diner as it always did when they were together. It was very much like every other dinner they had ever eaten together but now they each had a hand on the table and their fingers were interlocked. Asami had never been more thankful that she was left handed and Korra was right handed; it made it so they never had to let go. At some point though Asami got a strange feeling and noticed that she could feel the eyes of the entire diner staff on her. When they had finished up and had been waiting on the check for what Korra had described as “longer than normal,” Korra excused herself to the bathroom. Somehow, that was the moment the check was placed on the table and Hakoda looked Asami dead in the eyes.

“Take care of our girl, Asami. We all love her very much and are so proud of everything she's done. She deserves the world.”

Asami couldn’t help but smile. She was getting the shovel talk from the staff of a diner in the Southern Water Tribe. 

“I will; I promise,” she said with a chuckle and slid some cash into the check presenter and told Hakoda to keep the change.

Korra came back as Hakoda walked away and offered a hand to help Asami out of her seat. When they reached the car, she motioned for Asami to give her the keys. 

“This next part is a surprise so I need to drive.”

Asami’s grip on the keys tightened. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Korra; it was just that she didn’t trust Korra to drive them somewhere...at night...when the forecast was calling for snow. Korra moved closer to her and placed her hands over both of Asami’s and gave them a squeeze. 

“I promise you can drive us back. It’s just...it’ll ruin the surprise if I give you directions.” 

Asami sighed, “Okay,” she said as she handed the keys over and turned to walk to the passenger side. She quickly whipped back around before she had gone too far and added, “But two hands on the wheel. As much as I love holding your hand, you’re not ready for that yet.”

“Whatever you say, Sams.” Korra replied before heading around to the other side. 

Asami was intrigued when they left town and took the winding road up into the nearby mountains. She was slightly spooked when Korra pulled off and parked at a scenic overlook and got out of the car, eyes glued to the sky. Asami was taking in the beautiful view of the valley when the opening of her door startled her from her splendor. 

“Come on, it’ll start in a few minutes.”

“Korra, it’s freezing. I won’t last a few minutes,” Asami said as she laughed and took Korra’s offered hand. 

“Lucky for you, I prepared for that.”

Korra led her to the trunk of the SUV and opened it to show Asami blankets and pillows spread out over the area. 

“Thankfully, some brilliant engineer designed this car with enough space to lay down in the back if you fold the seats down. Now, up you go.”

Asami crawled into the back of the car as gracefully as she could and waited for Korra to join her before they laid down with their heads toward the open end of the car. After a few moments Korra heard Asami gasp as brilliant hues of green and pink began to paint the sky.

“You’ve been holding out on me,” she whispered.

Korra chuckled, “I like to think I saved it for the perfect moment.”

They stared at the sky and basked in each other’s company. Eventually, Asami rolled onto her side to face Korra. She gently reached out to encourage Korra to do the same and when they were facing each other she placed a hand on Korra’s cheek. 

“Hi.” Asami breathed out with a giggle. She couldn’t help it. It was all so perfect. 

Asami’s laughter infected Korra but she was eventually able to get out a huffed “Hi.”

“I’m kinda glad we waited for this. Even though I’ve been waiting since I thought you were some random football player who was going to hit on me at the -”

“You thought I was some random football player?” Korra asked, clearly offended.

“Hush, I’m trying to be romantic. Even though we waited this long, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Asami finished as she brushed soft circles on Korra’s cheek with her thumb. 

Korra hummed in agreement and leaned into Asami’s touch. After a beat she moved her hand so it covered Asami’s. 

“I would change one thing about this though.”

Asami raised her eyebrows and shot Korra a knowing look, “And what would that be?”

Korra removed Asami’s hand from her face and slowly began to close the distance between them. When she was a hair’s breadth away she stopped short and Asami could feel the vibrations from Korra’s words on her lips. “I would have done this five min-”

Asami couldn’t wait any longer. She felt like her whole life had somehow been building up to this moment. She closed the gap and finally got to feel how soft Korra’s lips were against her own. It was a gentle, brief kiss. A kiss to test the waters and Asami was more than willing to let herself drown. She slipped her arms around Korra’s neck and dove back in as Korra snaked her arms around Asami’s hips and pulled her flush. Asami melted into Korra, quickly swiping her tongue across Korra’s lower lip and when that didn’t get her where she wanted to be she gently bit the lip and slipped in when Korra gasped in surprise. 

Kissing Asami was like coming home; Korra hadn’t known she was a weary traveller until she was cut off mid sentence. Her eyes slipped closed and her arms reached out to bring Asami closer. When their lips met again, it was fervent. Korra was unsure who persuaded who but suddenly Asami’s tongue was exploring every corner of her mouth like she wouldn’t get the chance to again and Korra couldn’t help the moan that escaped her. Her mind went completely blank as it frantically tried to record the moment. Asami tasted of the chocolate cake she had eaten for dessert, the scent of her perfume mixed with the jasmine of her shampoo permeated Korra’s every pore. The feel of her body pressed against Korra’s own, soft and pliable would have made Korra weak in the knees if they were standing. 

When they finally broke apart, the need for oxygen had become too great for them to carry on, they couldn’t help the smiles that lit up their faces.

“ _You’ve_ been holding out on _me,_ ” Korra parroted back to Asami as she leaned in for more.

* * *

“You know...I would have a much easier time unlocking the door if you would let go of me.”

Asami wrapped her arms around Korra’s midsection tighter and pulled her back from the door. “No, I’m cold and someone made me sit in the open air for an hour so they need to warm me up,” she replied as she nuzzled her face into Korra’s neck from behind.

Korra managed to get back to the door, dragging Asami with her and laughter filled the foyer as they finally pushed through the door. The house was dark and they needed to be quiet but they couldn’t help themselves. Asami quickly maneuvered herself so she was now clinging to Korra’s front and had leaned to pick up where they left off in the car before she got too cold when the sound of the alarm system beeping to indicate the code needed to be input brought her back to reality. 

“Korra, type in the code,” she whispered as she pulled back from Korra a little.

Korra’s face was a mask of confusion as she chased Asami’s lips for a second before asking, “Code?”

“Yeah, for the alarm,” Asami replied with a chuckle.

“I thought you knew it.”

_This is bad_ Asami thought as she stared at Korra for a second. 

“I just had a temporary one. Your dad reset it when I showed him how it all worked. I don’t technically live here so I didn’t ask what it is.”

“Well shit...I don’t know it either. Can’t you just...bypass it. You built it, I know you know how.”

“I designed it so that even I can’t do that in under 30 seconds and I would say we’re probably down to around 10 now.”

The words had barely left Asami’s mouth before Korra was out of her arms and feet pounded up the stairs. The last thing Asami heard before the ear splitting ringing began was Korra’s frantic knocking on her parent’s bedroom door. _Well, it’s still working,_ Asami thought to herself as she crossed to the living room to pick up the ringing landline. 

When she had finished telling the security techs back at Future Industries everything was okay she was greeted by a disheveled and annoyed looking Tonraq. 

“Codes for each member of the household; is that possible?”

Wide-eyed, Asami nodded at him. She had never seen him look so stern before and thought this must be what it's like to work for him. “Y-yes. I will update the code to accommodate for that tomorrow morning. Great idea.”

As she watched him turn and leave, she sank down into the couch. The small bit of adrenaline that had coursed through her when she heard the beep vanished and she couldn’t be bothered to move upstairs. Asami let her head fall back and felt her eyes slip closed as she thought about the adjustments that would need to be made to the system and the app she was still working on developing. Asami must have dozed off at some point because the next thing she felt was gentle hands sliding under her knees and behind her shoulder blades and strong arms lifting her up. When her eyes fluttered open she saw Korra was already in her pajamas. 

“I was waiting for you and when you didn’t show I figured I should come find you.” 

“Korra…” Asami huffed out sleepily as she attempted to move to be set down, “I can walk.”

“Shhh...let me carry my girlfriend to bed.”

Asami sighed but wrapped her arms around Korra’s neck for added security once they reached the stairs before quipping, “Bold of you to assume I’m your girlfriend.”

Korra rolled her eyes and chuckled as she unceremoniously dropped Asami on the bed in Asami’s room. “Well then,” Korra started as she laid down next to her, “Asami Sato, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”

Asami kicked off her shoes and pulled herself so she was flush with Korra. She hummed as if she was seriously considering her answer and her eyes slipped closed once more. 

“Of course,” she murmured as she placed a kiss at the corner of Korra’s mouth.


End file.
